We audit well-liked gold tokens towards 5 belief exams, then evaluate them with BTC ETFs and native BTC settlement.
Binance founder Changpeng Zhao lately claimed tokenized gold shouldn’t be on-chain in response to Peter Schiff arguing tokenized gold can outcompete Bitcoin.
Saying the plain. Most individuals “in crypto” know this, most individuals “not in crypto” could not perceive but.
Tokenizing gold is NOT “on chain” gold.
It’s tokenizing that you simply belief some third get together provides you with gold at some later date, even after their administration adjustments, perhaps a long time later, throughout a warfare, and so forth.
It’s a “belief me bro” token.
That is the explanation no “gold cash” have actually took off.
– @CZ_binance
Begin with the ledger.
When a person self-custodies BTC, the Bitcoin base layer confers last settlement for the factor the person really owns, spendable BTC.
For a U.S. spot BTC ETF, the share settles on the securities depository on T+1, whereas the fund’s underlying BTC settles on the Bitcoin community contained in the custodian’s wallets.
For tokenized gold, the general public chain settles the token, however authorized title to metallic sits in an issuer’s vault and documentation stack, and redemption requires the issuer, the custodian and bodily logistics.
Redemption paths make the excellence concrete. BTC will be withdrawn permissionlessly by paying a price and ready for confirmations.
In contrast, PAX Gold units a bar-sized threshold for direct bodily redemption, usually at round 430 ounces, and smaller redemptions are routed by way of companions and will take a number of enterprise days relying on technique.
Tether Gold’s FAQ describes a direct redemption minimal of 1 London Good Supply bar after KYC by way of TG Commodities, with bars saved in Switzerland. Comtech Gold units a one kilogram minimal. The result’s clear, token transfers finalize on Ethereum or one other L1, however supply of metallic relies on issuer processes, KYC, bar availability and logistics home windows.
Admin-key publicity provides one other layer. Paxos retains freeze and improve controls for PAXG and has frozen addresses when directed by U.S. regulation enforcement, together with about 11,184 PAXG linked to FTX in 2022.
Tether Gold and Comtech Gold additionally function token contracts and redemption desks beneath issuer phrases, which implies balances will be immobilized on the contract or on the redemption step.
Bitcoin has no issuer key for person UTXOs. ETF shares will be halted inside securities guidelines, and the underlying BTC stays on-chain at a professional custodian.
Proofs full the image.
A number of BTC ETF issuers have moved to extra frequent reserve transparency.
Bitwise makes use of each day third-party proof of reserves for its spot BTC ETF holdings, and ARK 21Shares pushes reserve knowledge on-chain by way of Chainlink Proof of Reserves fed by Coinbase.
Gold tokens depend on accountant attestations and bar-allocation portals somewhat than cryptographic proofs of vault holdings. Paxos gives month-to-month studies, now by KPMG.
Tether Gold publishes month-to-month studies by BDO Italia, per its FAQ. These paperwork assist, however they don’t anchor vault state to public-chain state on the vault boundary.
A easy trust-stack scorecard helps evaluate the place settlement occurs, how redemption works, and who can intervene.
| Asset | Settlement ledger for what you personal | Redemption path | Admin-key floor | Proof cadence | Custodian / Vault |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BTC, self-custody | Bitcoin L1 finality for spendable BTC | Permissionless withdrawal, community price and confirmations | No issuer keys on L1 | N/A | Person holds keys |
| BTC spot ETF shares | DTCC share ledger, T+1 settlement | Brokerage rails, APs create and redeem | Company actions beneath securities guidelines | Every day PoR for some issuers, Chainlink PoR feeds | Certified crypto custodian holds BTC |
| PAX Gold (PAXG) | Ethereum token ledger for IOU, metallic title off-chain | Direct bar redemption ≈ 430 oz, smaller by way of companions, KYC | Issuer can freeze and improve, prior freezes executed | Month-to-month KPMG attestations | Brink’s London by way of Paxos Belief |
| Tether Gold (XAU₮) | Ethereum token ledger for IOU, metallic title off-chain | Direct 400 oz LGD bar after KYC by way of TG Commodities | Issuer-administered contract and redemption | Month-to-month BDO Italia studies | Swiss vaults, TG Commodities |
| Comtech Gold (CGO) | XDC token ledger for IOU, bar information on DMCC Tradeflow | Direct redemption minimal 1 kg | Issuer-administered contract and redemption | Attestations by way of DMCC processes | DMCC-approved vaults |
Level-in-time provide snapshots reinforce scale and dispersion. Etherscan exhibits about 331,000 PAXG excellent on Ethereum as of Oct. 23. Tether Gold’s Ethereum contract displays a most complete provide close to 522,000 XAU₮, with further provide on different networks. Explorer panels can combine circulating and most quantities, so issuer attestations stay the authoritative file for complete issuance.
The ETF aspect has tightened the hyperlink between shares and on-chain BTC. The SEC signed off on in-kind creations and redemptions for spot BTC ETFs on July 29, 2025, permitting licensed members to ship or obtain BTC somewhat than money solely, which reduces frictions between the ETF’s share register and the underlying coin balances.
U.S. fairness markets run T+1 for share settlement, which frames intraday monitoring and first market home windows for the funds, in accordance with DMCC. BlackRock’s spot automobile has drawn massive asset totals this month, with IBIT coming into the highest 20 U.S. ETFs by AUM.
Macro circumstances elevate the stakes.
Gold printed file intraday costs above $4,200 an oz in October 2025 on safe-haven flows and coverage expectations. HSBC lifted its 2025 common forecast to $3,355 {dollars}, up from $3,215, per Reuters.
If costs stretch and token holders attempt to redeem in dimension, the primary bottleneck shouldn’t be the chain, it’s the redemption desk and vault logistics. Bar-size minimums, KYC throughput and bar availability can create queues and slippage, which may present up as token premiums or reductions to identify throughout stress.
By comparability, in-kind ETF home windows give APs a direct lane to maneuver BTC for shares, which can assist the fund monitor web asset worth extra tightly than a cash-only mannequin when the market is gapping.
Freeze and compulsion threat additionally diverge. PAXG’s 2022 immobilization tied to FTX exhibits that token balances will be frozen even when held in self-hosted wallets. ETF shares can face buying and selling halts or company actions, and the underlying BTC stays on-chain topic to custodian controls somewhat than per-address freezes on L1.
The core discovering throughout these circumstances is constant.
Tokenized gold settles tokens on public chains, whereas last possession of metallic rests in off-chain vault and custody techniques managed by issuers and their companions.
BTC in self-custody settles natively on-chain. BTC spot ETFs settle shares at DTCC whereas the fund’s coin balances choose L1 inside custodians, and a number of other issuers now expose reserve knowledge by way of each day attestations or on-chain oracles.
If tokenized gold is a ticket, the chain information who holds the ticket, not who holds the bar.
